Knuckles
by Domestic Servant
Summary: Sasuke encounters an eccentric customer as his shift comes to an end in his crappy job. Who was this girl and why was she acting so friendly? Implied SasuSaku..ish. AU/oneshot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto...?**

**A/N: Hokay, so this really isn't crackish, but I just had to use this idea. I just HAD to. It was destiny! Uhm, so this is a one-shot. I don't have the time to update regularly. Maybe I'll change it, maybe I won't. I probably won't though, so enjoy This is an implied SasuSaku btw. Sasuke is the narrator and Sakura is the girl, obviously.**

_'Stupid job. Stupid job. Stupid job'_

That was my mantra as I waited for my shift to end. A dishtowel in hand, I made my way around the counter and positioned myself in front of the window. I wasn't looking at anything in particular.

"...what a sad world," I idly muttered to myself.

Cold autumn wind blew brown and decaying leaves across the sidewalk and road. Every so often, a piece of trash would accompany them.

Directly across the way sat a lone homeless man, pleading mercifully for some spare change. He was ignored.

"What a sad world." I repeated as walked back to my post, head hung in shame for society.

The bell to the door rang as a customer entered. It was a young lady, probably in college. Her houndstooth scarf swayed haphazardly against her plain black coat as she rubbed her bare hands to warm them. Her cheeks and nose were tinted pink and accentuated with a bright smile. The flush that adorned her face nearly blended in with her hair, which was a light shade of pink as well.

_'How can she be smiling on a dreary day like this? Tch, she probably aced a test or something. How stupid.'_ My bitter thoughts rang in my head as my eyes followed her bouncy footsteps to an overstuffed chair. As the girl made herself comfortable, she pulled out a tattered book. My eyes shifted to the clock. I took one last swipe at the pristinely clean counter and decided that she was to be my last customer.

I made my way over to her, taking out my handy memo pad and pen. As I approached, she turned her head and pretty much blinded me with her smile.

_'She has to be a spokesperson for Colgate or something…'_

"What can I do for you today, ma'am?" I tried returning the smile, but my gut feeling tells me, if anything, it was a pained grimace.

"Just a large coffee, please! Crème and sugar…" she put down her book and began listing off on her fingers; her brow was etched with the utmost concentration. Who knew people took coffee so seriously? "…just a tad of hazelnut, maybe about a half teaspoon, more or less. Do you have all that? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"Don't waste your time. I have it all here. Is there anything else that you want?" She shook her head. That damned smile returned at my cynical response. I made an about face and swiftly walked to prepare the last coffee of my workday. The bell rang again. I turned around slowly and a crooked smile made its way onto my face. It was the guy who was to take over my shift. In other words, my _savior_.

"_FINALLY!_ You are here!" I yelled joyously. I did little jig as I poured the crème into the cup. "Jesus, now I can go home and--"

"Do nothing?" he finished. I just glared in response.

I walked back over to the "Happy Lady", which is what I unceremoniously dubbed her in my head, and set her beverage on the table next to her chair. I began to turn around when a voice that I had (unfortunately) become all too familiar with stopped me.

"Why are you so down today?" it asks.

I turned around, this time with a full on grimace. "The weather." I began to think my tone was a tad too harsh, seeing as "Happy Lady" seemed shocked for _a second._

She's a quick recovery, though.

"Seriously?!" she half-yelled. "I _adore—_no_—love_ it when it's like this!" She set down her book and proppd her chin up on the palm of her hand.

I was being studied.

Fantastic.

"Do you? Well, I was wondering why you were grinning like an idiot when you walked in." Yes, I was being a total asshole, but she was being annoying.

"Ah, so you were watching me?" I was taken aback at her statement. She even chuckled as one of her trim eyebrows rose.

"Well the bell rang…" I started. I noticed I was still standing, like an idiot, might I add. My eyes instinctively drifted over to the chair sitting across from her.

"You can sit."

Hesitantly, I sat down.

I glanced at her, then to the side, looking out of the window. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her take a sip of her coffee and set it back down.

"I have a cousin who speaks to his dog in Urdu, the national language of Pakistan."

I looked at her, intrigued. What kind of conversation starter was that? "Really?" I replied, dumbly.

"Yeah, it's quite amazing because the dog won't respond to English commands."

"That's odd…" I honestly had no idea what to say to keep this subject going.

I felt an intense stare going my way and glance over to see her studying me again.

"You're single, aren't you?" she stated.

"What's it to you?"

"Just wondering," she put her hands up in mock-surrender. "So you don't have a girlfriend?"

"Obviously not," I spat. Could she not take a hint? "What, do _you_ have a girlfriend?"

"Haha! Actually, I don't," she said. "I don't have a boyfriend either. At least, not anymore." She propped her chin up on her palm again.

I suddenly had this urge to prod into her personal life.

"What do you mean? Did you break up with him or something?"

"Well, I don't know what happened, exactly. It just stopped…"

"So it was mutual?"

"Not really. I was the one who actually broke up with him. I mean, he seemed pretty down about it, but it's not like he acted like my boyfriend for the past 3 months previous to the end," as she said this, she looked down into her coffee mug, focusing on the creamy swirls decorating the drink. She brought it up to her lips and sighed, blowing steam my way.

"Hey, watch it." I swatted the air with my hand before it could hit my face. She still had the mug up to her mouth and started to laugh into it, due to my antics.

"So, yeah. I mean, I don't regret anything, but it's just feels weird not having that familiar presence around you. Even if they're not around you all the time, at least you know they're there. You know what I mean? Like, if you're in a relationship you _just have that feeling_ that they're there and when you're just getting out of one, like a long, serious one, it just feels empty for the first few weeks. It feels liberating, yet empty."

"That sounds like a wonderful feeling." I mumbled.

"Tch, I know, right," The girl finally takes large gulp of coffee, almost as if to calm herself. "So how did your last relationship end?" she asked.

"Oh, well, it was mutual. I guess we were in it for our own, separate reasons. Both of our intentions weren't necessarily legit. I do feel kind of guilty, though."

"Oh, really? So it was like a business relationship?"

"No…I guess she was using me to try to make a friend of hers' jealous because she liked him as more than a friend? And I was using her to just ease some frustrations of mine. I'm not one to hire prostitutes so…"

"Ah, gotcha!"

I was quite surprisd that she didn't call me out for using a girl for sexual purposes only. I got that a lot from my female friends. They were so abusive.

"Hey, have you ever hit a guy before?" I asked.

"Wha? I've punched a few guys in the arm, like, as a joke." She set down her cup. "You know, like this!"

I was the punched in the shoulder, _hard._

"OW. Goddamn, what is up with your knuckles? God, you might as well have stabbed me!"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. You're lucky I didn't elbow you!" she scolded.

"You better not elbow me," I narrowed my eyes in a threatening manner. "I know people."

She laughed in response. It was a nice laugh.

The girl began to say something when she was cut off by my friend, also known as the one who took over my shift.

"Woah, man, you're still here?" he walked over, drying a small dish. His disgustingly bright-blond hair fell into his eyes. "Mind if I join, beautiful?"

"Uhm…go ahead," replied the girl. She was just being polite, I could tell.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I wasn't talking to you," he turned to the girl apologetically, then to me, waggling his eyebrows suggestively. He turned back to her. "I guess you're pretty, too."

Her eyes took on a dangerous glint and the next thing I knew, the dishtowel my stupid friend was holding was shoved into his mouth.

His blue eyes tightly shut as he gagged at the taste of dirty towel in his mouth. "Serves you right," I said.

"You're mean!" He said when he finally spit out the towel. He wiped some saliva that was trailing down the corner of his mouth. "Jesus, I never thought you'd find a girl as cruel as you! Remind me to never hang out with you guys when you're together."

"We just met, idiot." I stated. He flipped me off in return as he back away to the counter.

"Don't mind him, he's just being his tactless self," I gave out a weary sigh.

"Ahaha, it's alright," she smiled. All of a sudden, she gasped in realization. "Oh! But I gotta head back. I have to eat out with the parents tonight, in like, 20 minutes. I'm not even ready yet. I'll probably stop by again, same time. That is, if you even have work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I do. Same shift," I start to get up, gathering her plate and mug.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then?" she clarified as she opened the door.

"Yeah. See ya," I held my hand up in a wave and in the background, as she left, I heard that idiot-friend of mine clap and whistle.

"Woo, you're gonna be getting some soon!" he hollered. I grabbed my coat and proceeded to tell him off as I walked out onto the sidewalk and towards the campus to my dorm. I faintly smiled to myself as the cold wind brushed my cheeks.

_'Maybe work isn't all so bad…'_

**Ah well, if you don't know who the idiot-friend is, it's Naruto. Kay**


End file.
